How to Teach Kids About Veterans Day (+ 5 Activities)

Even though not all cultures of a nation observe the same holidays, the national holidays are extremely important for any society. Not only do most of them promote cultural unity and appreciation for our differences, but national holidays also allow us to spend more time with our families. Veterans day is no different. But, there comes a time when we need to explain the exact meaning of the particular events to our little ones, be it in our homes or the classroom. So, in that case, how do we explain Veterans Day to kids?

Teaching from a “Veterans Day for kids” perspective and pointing out the holiday’s significance is important in many aspects as it allows us to teach about the concepts of courage and sacrifice, as well as hope. But before going over the ways you can teach children about Veterans Day as an educator or parent, let’s brush up on our basics, such as why Veterans Day is important, and then we’ll move on to Veterans Day activities and fun facts.

The History of Veterans Day and Why We Celebrate It

Simply put, Veterans Day as a holiday honors the nation’s military veterans. It’s worth noting that it is a distinct holiday from Memorial Day, as well as Remembrance Day and Armistice day; the latter two may coincide with Veterans Day.

In actuality, even though Armistice Day may be viewed as a separate holiday, it is the precedent of Veterans Day that we all know. On the first Armistice Day, November 11, 1919, the then-president Woodrow Wilson issued a statement to the US public in which he lauded American heroism in WWI and the ensuing status of the country as a nation that values peace and justice. He also praised the brave participants and soldiers who ensured victory and helped the “furtherance of the common interests of men”.

Although notable, Armistice Day wasn’t made a fully-fledged legal annual holiday until 1938, when it became “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.”

It wasn’t until 1954, when “Armistice Day” was changed to be “Veterans Day”, and in his first “Veterans Day Proclamation”, Dwight D. Eisenhower ensured the “proper and widespread observance” of this meaningful day. From then on, Armistice, or rather Veterans day, was not to be considered only as an anniversary of the WWI armistice, but as a day dedicated to expressing gratitude to the US soldiers who served in all wars, and not just WWI, as well.

Who Qualifies as a Veteran?

Now that we’re all caught up and in order to help kids understand who they’re honoring, it’s important that we also answer who the veterans are. “Veteran”, despite what someone who’s unfamiliar with the holiday might assume, doesn’t imply long-tenured service in the military. The veterans honored on Veterans Day are all the soldiers that have served in all branches of the military (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force) at some point and have been discharged under any condition other than dishonorable.

The Memorial Day Distinction

We already mentioned that Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day, and this distinction is worth explaining to kids. While Veterans Day honors all discharged service people, Memorial Day is a holiday for the remembrance of military personnel that “died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle”.

Veterans Day for Kids: Teaching Through Activities

In addition to the standard historical curriculum, you would do well to try and incorporate certain interactive activities while teaching kids about Veterans Day. We listed our suggestions below, and the best part is that you can get as creative as you want! But before looking into the activities, you could also try and make the historical facts more interesting by including some more unusual ones.

5 Veterans Day facts for kids

1. The WWI armistice was signed in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
2. There are about 18.8 million veterans in the US as of 2019. That’s about 7.6% of the population!
3. Almost half of them are older than 65.
4. The original Armistice Day is still observed in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, Germany, etc. Although, in some of the countries, the holiday has also been renamed.
5. The renowned WWII US general, George Patton, was born on November 11.

Talk About Liberty

Even though this isn’t much of a practical activity in the literal sense of the word, it’s incredibly important for setting the premise. The best way to make the children aware of the veterans’ significance and why they ought to be honored, other than their bravery and sacrifice, of course, is to talk about the liberties the kids themselves enjoy. That is to be done with a focus on the fact that the veterans are directly responsible to ensure the freedoms in question. 

Express Gratitude Through Letters to Veterans

From then on, you could choose any of the following. Our favorite on this list of suggestions, though, has to be thanking the local veterans. By writing letters of appreciation and thankfulness, the children will have an opportunity to directly express how they feel about a veteran’s service. Besides, putting a smile on someone’s face is not a small thing.

Visit a State Veterans Home

If the circumstances allow it, you could always take the class to veteran homes where the children will have the opportunity to directly communicate with the elderly soldiers. What’s more, many of the people in those facilities don’t have friends or family that visit them all that often, so they’ll feel immeasurably better when the kids visit them and express their gratitude.

Invite Local Veterans to School

Another option is inviting the local veterans to school where they could give a speech and also communicate with the children directly. Nothing beats first-hand recounts when they’re available. Furthermore, the children will get to know heroes that they didn’t even know lived in their close proximity.

Incorporate Worksheets When Teaching About Veterans Day

Last but not least, you could always choose to incorporate our extensive catalog of Veterans Day for kids worksheets. Those will undoubtedly help the kids to get acquainted with everything regarding this important holiday. What’s more, they’re the go-to “Veterans Day for kids” resource bundle for thousands of teachers. Upon completing some or all of the worksheets, the students will understand the complete chronology of how Veterans Day came to be and its importance. Moreover, they’ll also have an opportunity to take a premade quiz, testing their newly acquired knowledge. Then, you can always choose to explore particular conflicts in more detail by browsing our Famous Wars library. 

Before You Leave

We hope that you got some ideas on how to better teach about Veterans Day and that you’ll be able to put them to practice. The national holidays present the ideal opportunity to teach history, and as they always say, “History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul”.

For more articles like this, or basically anything related to education, head over to our blog. On the other hand, if you’re looking for more useful worksheets regarding any specific subject matter, our library has materials that fit any curriculum.